Ferina the protector
by rachaelphilip
Summary: King Arthur and Merlin join forces with Ferina, a mysterious wolf who claims to be the protector...
1. Chapter 1

Carefully, I made my way through the woods, alert to all that was around me.

My ears pricked slightly as I heard the distant sounds of horses carrying their masters.

I breathed out, ready to meet my destiny - the destiny that Kilgharrah, The Great Dragon had told me about.

I loved him dearly and trusted him - he was my father...but enough of that...

I was to serve alongside Emrys, The Greatest Sorcerer of all time, in the protection of King Arthur.

My heart beat faster as I heard hunting dogs run towards me.

I spotted a deer, and knowing that the hunting party would be after him, ran to him.

"Quickly, noble buck, run for your life." I ordered him.

He bowed in appreciation and then ran at great speed.

Suddenly the dogs came through the canopy and I growled to warn them to stop.

They froze and cocked their heads, confused.

The human masters had ordered them to hunt, but I had ordered them to stop, and they should never disobey me - Ferina, The Protecter.

Deciding my law would be more wise to obey, they submitted, bowing their heads.

I nodded with approval and sat waiting for the ones I knew would come.

As I thought, the horses came through the trees in just a minute, carrying their humans.

The very humans I wished to encounter.

They stopped, startled my the behaviour of the dogs and startled by me.

After a moment of silence, they slowly dismounted, never failing to stop looking at me.

When they drew their swords, I stood up and stared at one in particular - the one who was leading the hunt - the one who wore the royal seal - the once and future King - Arthur Pendragon.

His eyes widened, wondering if I truly had the intelligence I showed.

"What is it?" a knight asked.

"I - I think she is the protector." a young man replied.

His dark hair contrasted his deep blue eyes perfectly.

How no-one could see him as the great sorcerer was beyond me.

"What are you muttering about now Merlin?" Arthur asked cockily.

I cocked my head to the side, deciding.

His voice, though filled with mockery was also filled with something else...true love and loyalty.

I nodded deliberatly to Merlin, startling the young king.

"Can...can you understand English?" he ventured, not quite believing such a notion.

Again, I nodded deliberatly, this time at him.

"This is magic!" a knight suddenly cried out, earning a soft growl from me as he pointed his sword in my direction.

"No!" Merlin cried, jumping infront of me.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" the knight demanded.

"She's not magic! Well...not in a way of witches or sorcerers!"

"Then what is this?" Arthur asked, his tone now filled with the trust of Merlin's knowledge.

"Sire, she has long been fabled - for she has lived as long as men. The great powers of the Godess of the old religion created her for the very first of all kings, from the flesh of his stillborn daughter, the breath of the first dragon, Kilgharrah and the spirit from the Godess herself. She is the protecter of all good kings - including you."

Everyone looked at each other, unsure whether or not to believe this servant.

"Well - how would you know of such a creature?" Arthur asked, stealing at looks at me every few moments.

"Stories from Gaius, Sire...I thought them to be tall tales, but look - have you ever seen a wolf as large or as pure white? See how deeply orange her eyes are...they are the colour of dragon fire."

Arthur dared to look in my eyes and could see the goodness, and strength, inside my very soul.

I stepped forward carefully, eyes focused on the king.

"Young Merlin is quite right, great king, I am Ferina, the protecter."

Everyone but Merlin gasped, shocked that I could speak.

"Be calm, Sir Knights. I am no threat to any who are good, and you all have good blood flowing through your veins. I can smell it. And you, Mighty King Arthur - I offer you my protection. I shall serve you until your last breath."

Then, I sank into a deep bow, my nose millimeters from his feet.

"You offer me protection?" Arthur asked me.

"Yes, your highness. It is my duty to protect all great and good kings, and you are the greatest of all kings that have been or are to come."

"What do you require in return?" he asked me.

"I only ask to be treated well." I replied.

"Will you obey the laws of Camelot?"

"I will obey your every command, your highness, and that includes the laws of your land."

"Then I accept - please, rise good wolf, and come with us to Camelot. You will be treated with all the respect you deserve."

I stood up and nodded, my eyes shining with happiness.

The dogs then approached me cautiously, so I wagged my tail to show peace.

"Do you mean harm to our humans?" the lead asked, still respectful.

"Of course not, noble one. My duty is to protect them from any harm."

He wagged his tail then, and welcomed me to the family.

I smiled, happy at their friendliness.

"Dear Wolf, I regret to say that I have forgotten your name." Arthur admitted.

"I am Ferina, Sire." I replied proudly.

"Is it true that you have lived as long as men?" he asked curiously.

"True it is. Everything Merlin said is accurate."

"That would make you..."

"Older than I care to say." I finshed with amusment, earning a smile from him.

"Who have you served in that time?" he continued.

"Well, I serve the great Godess, as it is her who gave me my life and my destiny. It is she who commands my purpose. In my lifetime, I have protected and served all good kings in history, and I have fought in countless wars and have killed countless evil doers. I have even killed hell-hounds on occasion."

"What are hell-hounds?"Arthur asked in awe.

"Vicious demons. They seek only good blood of good men, women and children. Believe me, they are better dead." I growled, though of course not at Arthur himself.

"I have never encountered such a creature." he shuddered.

"And I pray you never do, great king." I answered.

He nodded appreciativly and we continued to bond as we made our way back to his noble home.

"Your highness, I might suggest that we keep the fact I can speak, or even undertand English, to ourselves - it may be beneficial - if there are traiters, they would never suspect that I could be listening or that I could tell you."

"Hmm, a very good suggestion indeed. Ok, Ferina. You will eat in my room...I feel it would be degrading to you if you were to eat out of a bowl on the floor infront of the court." He replied.

I nodded in appreciation.

"I would prefer that very much, good king. I am a very personal creature, and would indeed prefer to eat alone."

"Then it is done." he nodded simply.

I nodded back, smiling slightly.

"Where would you be staying through the day?" Arthur asked me.

"Unless you say otherwise, I would like to stay close to you at all times. Not overcrowding you, just enough to keep you safe. Of course you are within your rights to fight for yourself, I only mean to protect you if you are unarmed or I can see that you are losing, your majesty."

"Arthur never loses." a knight interjected kindly.

"Oh, I mean not to insult his most high majesty...I am certain I will never actually be needed." I giggled, earning a laugh from everyone else.

I breathed out.

I knew I was going to be happy serving King Arthur.


	2. Chapter 2

I loved living in Camelot - the people were good, and the food was even better.

Most often I ate alone in Arthur's room, served the best meat in the land!

It was a great deal.

Usually my residence was in the dark shadows near the throne, to keep myself secret from any newcomers who may be a threat.

A lot of the time, I just lay there, watching the day go by and keeping up-to-date with the going-ons of the kingdom by listening to most conversations of the court.

I also in-putted sometimes on matters of treason.

I could smell good blood a mile away, and if someone came in accused of treason, I would smell them intently to see if they were good or bad.

Unfortunatly, most were bad, and they were executed.

I refused to watch such things...I had killed many evil-doers but I still hated it.

A life was still a life, no matter if it was good or bad.

It was a gift from the Godess.

Now and then, innocent people were accused, and I managed to save them.

I had Arthur's full trust.

A young girl was once brought it, maybe 14 at a push.

She dropped to her knees, crying hysterically.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur asked, standing up.

I cocked my head, watching the girl intently as her 'crime' was announced.

"This girl came to us just a few minutes ago, Sire, she confesses to the crime of Treason. She works in the kitchens and was going to poison the chickens for tonight's feast but was caught by another servant. She ran away and bumped into us - when we asked her what the rush was, she broke down and confessed." Sir Gwaine explained, slightly upset.

No-one wanted to see a child executed, no matter what the crime.

I let out a very gentle growl, careful that only Arthur could hear me.

He understood perfectly.

"I want everyone to leave immediately, and leave the girl and me alone." he ordered.

Everyone obeyed at once, leaving the court silent, save the girl's shaky sobs.

"Ferina?" Arthur asked expectantly.

I came out of the shadows then, slowly and softly in attempt to frighten the child as little as possible.

She still gasped and began to shake even more as I approached her.

I gently sat next to her and pushed my nose into her hand to show I would not harm her.

She seemed to understand but was still terrified...she had confessed to Treason, and knew very well what the punishment was.

I began to sniff her but didn't have to for long...she was nothing but pure good and innocence, like any child should be.

I shook my head at Arthur, who breathed out with relief.

I turned my attention back to the shaking one.

"My name is Ferina." I stated calmly.

She gasped, startled that I could speak.

"Be calm, young one. I will not harm you. Why did you make a confession of Treason? I can smell that you have good blood in you...you're innocent."

She shook her head.

"I...I was gonna poison the food..." she whispered, not daring to look at me or the king.

"Only a half-attempt if you were caught so easily - I want you to look at me." Arthur stated gently but firmly.

Her face drained, but slowly she obeyed.

"Why did you try to poison the food? Have I done something to offend you?" he asked.

She shook her head quickly and more tears escaped her but she tried to control it.

"Not me, your majesty." she whispered.

It was an evasive answer, but me and Arthur both heard the meaning behind it.

"Someone told you to do it, didn't they?" Arthur asked, outraged that someone could use a child like that.

"I tried to say no! I swear I did! Oh please forgive me, please! I'm sorry!" she begged, bowing her head again and bursting into more tears.

My heart was breaking for her, and I looked at the king and saw his was broken too.

He sighed and crouched down to her level, holding her shoulders to try and calm her.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Rose, your majesty." she whispered.

"Rose...that's a nice name. Rose, can you look at me please?"

Shaking, she obeyed and kept her gaze this time.

"Listen to me, Rose. I need to know who told you to poison me and I need to know why you said yes. If you answer me honestly, your punishment will be very light. I know you are innocent really, but you did still commit a crime. Do you understand?"

She nodded, frightened to speak.

"Good girl - once your punishment is done, you will be fully forgiven by me and it will all be forgotten. You have my word as King of Camelot, ok?"

She nodded again.

"Thank you your majesty - you're just and kind. I am thankful I failed."

Arthur nodded and held her face to keep her looking at him.

"Who told you to kill me?"

She gulped and started shaking, but we stayed silent, knowing she would answer.

"She came to me when I was looking after my little brother...he's only 5. She...she said she would pay me much gold to kill you...all I had to do was poison the food...I said no, no amount of gold was worth a life, and especially yours. She...she grabbed my brother and got a dagger from her chest. She said she would kill him if I refused."

More tears came now and Arthur pulled her into an embrace, allowing her the comfort and release she needed to continue.

It was a rather emotional thing to witness.

"I begged her...I said 'please, he's just little!' and she told me again to kill you. Who would suspect a child from the kitchens? she asked. So I agreed, just to get her to leave him alone, but I never intended to keep my promise. Then this morning on the way to the kitchens, she came to me again and pinned me against the wall by my throat...she warned me that if I did not attempt to comply, she would kill my family one by one. First my brother, then my mother, then my father, and then finally me." she sobbed, needed a few more minutes,

"Please forgive me, please! Please, I'm so sorry!" she pleaded, letting her head fall into Arthur's lap.

I allowed a few tears to fall, and bowed my head to calm myself.

When I looked up again I saw that even Arthur shed a tear.

He saw that I saw but he saw in my eyes that I would never reveal that his true weakness was children.

After composing himself, he stroked Rose's head and lifted her chin up to look at him.

"I do forgive you, child, and there will be no punishment...I was going to have you whipped but...no. I issue you a full royal pardon. And Rose, you and your family will stay here under full guard until she is caught...but to catch her, I need to know who did it."

"Thank you! Thank you your majesty! But I am afraid I don't know who she was..."

I stood up then.

"Did you say she pinned you, Rose?" I asked softly.

"Yes, mighty wolf...may I ask why you ask?" she replied.

"May I smell your throat? I should be able to smell whoever touched you."

She nodded and lifted her chin up.

Inhaling deeply, I at last caught the scent, and a dangerous, snarling growl escaped me. I even bared my teeth in anger and turned to Arthur, who had by now stood up and was waiting for me to speak.

"Morgana!" I growled

His face etched with anger and he nodded.

"Guards!" he shouted, making Rose jump.

I nuzzled her to calm her and pushed her gently to make her stand up as the knights filled the court again with Merlin, and his uncle, Gaius

"Morgana is at work! Gaius, Rose here has an injury on her throat - see to her will you? When you are finished, accompany her to Sir Gwain and he will then escort her to one of the guest chambers, as close to my chambers as possible. Gwain, you are then to take full responsibility of her safety and happiness. Anything she needs, give it to her. She has had a full royal pardon. Merlin? I need you to locate her family and bring them back to the castle immediately - Ferina, I need you to escort him - I trust him, but he is not trained in combat. I am trusting you to protect him and Rose's family. Does everyone understand?" Arthur demanded, taking charge.

There was a chorus of 'Yes, Sire' and bows, then everyone hurried to do their tasks.

As I left, I heard Arthur tell the knights what was happening with Morgana and set up a plan to catch her.

"Good luck." I whispered, knowing how powerful the evil witch was.

Merlin looked at me and nodded seriously.


	3. Chapter 3

Finally, Merlin and I were alone and free to talk openly.

"I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you Ferina." he said kindly.

"Or I, you." I replied, wagging my tail.

"Kilgharrah was the one who really told me about you - he is very proud of you." Merlin commented.

I nodded happily, eyes sparkling.

"I always aim to please my father, Kilgharrah, and my mother, the great Godess. I have seen neither of them for a very long time. I miss them...but at least I have the oppertunity to see my father from time to time." I opened, trusting the great sorcerer.

"We have the greatest of tasks, Emrys," I started, turning serious, "we are charged with the protection of the Great King Arthur...his very name will go through the ages as one of the most famous of legends. And you...you cannot even openly show your true self at any time, while I can. It is unfair, yet it makes you even more brave and noble. You have my deepest respect and trust." I said gently.

It seemed to fill him with emotion and he was silent for a moment.

"The same is for you, Ferina. You have lived for centuries protecting not only the great kings, but any who have good blood. You make friends who become like family to you, just to watch nature take hold and they leave this world...you cannot even see your own mother until the end of time. I feel for you."

I looked at him with kindness.

"I am not the only one, Emrys. As the greatest sorcerer in the world that has been or is to come, you too will live for centuries...maybe even millenia...loving and losing. But there is one friend you have that you will never lose." I said pointedly.

He smiled, nodding.

"And I look forward to spending those years with you." he replied.

I smiled, eyes twinkling, and then we had to stop the conversation because we had arrived at the village.

I winked to remind Merlin that no-one was to know I could speak, and he nodded to confirm he understood.

It wasn't long before we found Rose's family.

They were running round the village frantically, begging anyone they met whether they had seen her.

We approached carefully.

"You are the family of Rose? A young girl, around 14?" Merlin asked.

"Yes...do you know where she is? Oh please say you do!" the father answered, rushing to him.

"Yes! She is at the castle with his majesty, King Arthur. The King summons you immediately." Merlin replied.

The family looked relieved, and then nervous.

"All of us?" the mother asked, hoping to see her little girl.

"Yes, all of you. Come. Oh, and don't worry about the wolf, she is here to protect us. She will not harm any of you."

I sat down to show peace and they nodded, if not a little uncertainly.

"Ok...come on then, we must see our Rose." the father agreed.

"You will - but first, you must see the King. It is a matter of urgency." Merlin informed him.

They nodded, and so we were off, back to the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose's family, who we learned was Fred Mason, his wife, Fiona Mason and their son, James Mason, stopped outside the court doors, clearly nervous.

"There is nothing to fear," Merlin comforted them, "you have done nothing wrong, and he's not as scary as he sounds. Just show him the respect he deserves as your king. Oh, it is not neccissary for James to come in - perhaps he would like to go see Rose?"

Fred and Fiona looked at each other and nodded, so Merlin asked a knight if he would take the boy up to his sister, which of course he did.

"Ok - wait until you are introduced, then come forward."

Then, Merlin opened the court doors, allowing me to go in first and sit next to Arthur.

"Your highness," Merlin started, bowing formally, "May I introduce Fred and Fiona Mason? They are the parents of Rose - James, the brother, has been taken to see her.

"Show them in." Arthur nodded.

Merlin bowed again and moved aside, pointing his arms towards the door to invite the couple in.

Nervously, they approached and when they got to the bottom of the steps of the throne, they knelt and bowed their heads.

"You wanted to see us, your highness?" Fred asked.

"Yes, it is true. I regret to inform you that Rose was manipulated and hurt by a sorceress called Morgana. She was threatened into attempting to kill me." Arthur replied softly.

"Treason? Oh no! Please, you majesty...I'll take responsibility, I'll take her punishment for her, please!" Fred begged, horrified.

"No, be still! be calm...Rose has recieved a full pardon because I believed her story. She was honest, and she touched my heart. Morgana is evil and used your child to try and get to me. Your young son was threatened at knife point to get her to agree, and when Rose tried to get out of it, Morgana threatened all of your deaths. So, all of you are under full protection and will stay in the guest chambers with your children, and will be given anything you need." Arthur interupted, smiling a little at the fatherly love Fred had shown.

I too smiled, though of course it was hidden.

"Thank you...thank you your majesty!" Fred whispered with real emotion, reaching out his hand.

Arthur took it and Fred respectfully and thankingly kissed his hand.

"Go now," Arthur ordered gently, "be with your daughter."

Fred and Fiona stood up and bowed, or courtseyed in Fiona's case, and was led away by a knight.

Arthur looked down, deep in thought and clearly stressed.

I sighed and gently rubbed my body against his legs in an affection way.

He looked at me, somewhat surprised but also pleased and gave me an appreciative smile.

I bowed curtly, then sat back down.

"What is your plan?" I asked.

"We are going to ride into the woods at dusk - that is when she seems most active. She has no idea of your existance, so I am planning on ambushing her...set up a trap, then - well, you can let your hunting instincts lead you." he repplied, just a little off in his tone.

The knights did not seem to notice, but I picked it up immediatly.

Arthur was sad...more than sad, he was devastated.

I knew Morgana was his half-sister and I felt a surge of sympathy.

Sighing I nodded, also unhappy.

He nodded back.

We understood each other, and no more needed to be said on the matter.

Suddenly, I heard something far off that filled me with rage...it was faint even to me but I knew exactly what it was.

Merlin was in pain from some sort of impact...someone was hurting him!

Snarling, I leapt up and ran from the room, startling Arthur and the knights.

Quickly, they followed me.

"What's going on?" they shouted, drawing their swords in case of combat.

But I was too angry to answer - as I raced my way through the castle, easily dodging servants and guests, I could hear everything more clearly.

"I know Arthur cares about you more than he tells - he'll be so devastated by your death, he will be weak and vulnerable!" a female voiced mocked.

At the same time, I could hear Merlin choking.

Enraged, I burst through the door and froze.

Merlin was pinned against a wall, choked by invisible hands.

Morgana looked shocked when she saw me and let her magic fail.

Merlin dropped to the floor and gulped air into his lungs, badly shaken.

The knights and Arthur caught up then.

Arthur gasped and ran to his servant, grasping his shoulder with his free hand.

Furious, he turned and pointed his sword at his sister.

"What have you done to him!?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing - you're little doggy stopped me, just in time." she mocked.

I barked, making her jump.

Licking my lips, then growling, I approached her slowly and dangerously, staring at her with real rage.

She pointed her arm at me and shouted an incantation, but when nothing happened, she gasped and looked terrified.

"You're magic won't touch me, witch! I am the daughter of the great dragon and the daughter of the great Goddess...but my teeth WILL make short work of you!" I snarled, lunging at her and missing by inches as she dodged.

Quickly, she jumped out the window just before I could grab her.

I jumped up on my hinds and looked out but she had vanished.

"Damn it!" I barked furiously.

I breathed out to calm myself, then turned my attention to Merlin.

His breathing was almost back to normal but he was clearly in agony.

I could sense it anyway - his heart was racing and he was sweating buckets.

Sympathy and concern for my friend washed away the anger instantly and I rushed to him.

"Merlin...you're going to be alright - we're here for you now." I explained softly.

He looked up at me and realising I had saved his life, allowed emotion get the better of him and he threw himself at me and embraced me.

I returned it as powerfully as I could.

He needed to know that I was there for him, as he was there for me.

"I'll stay with Merlin and Ferina - all of you, go and search the immediate area for Morgana. Percival, go and see Rose and her family and make sure they are safe - Gwaine, go and fetch Gaius as quickly as you can!" Arthur ordered.

They rushed off, leaving the 3 of us quite alone, Merlin still clinging to me and fighting back tears.

"Merlin...it is ok. There is no shame in emotion - it is a gift to calm you...just let it out." I ordered softly.

And the heavens opened.

He sobbed great heaving sobs, becoming hysterical in a matter of minutes.

Arthur didn't know what to do for him but wait for it to pass.

At last, he did stop crying and wiped away his tears.

He released his hold of me and sat back against the wall, drying his eyes and gaining control of his breathing.

Arthur, wide-eyed, finally placed his hand gently on Merlin's shoulder.

"You know for a minute there I was really afraid..." he admitted.

Merlin managed a smile.

"You were afraid of losing me? Sire, I never thought you cared..." he teased.

"Pft, about you? Don't be ridiculous Merlin, I was merely concerned for Gaius...if he became depressed at your loss, who would practice medicines in the court?" Arthur answered with a sparkle in his eyes.

I giggled, as did Merlin.

Arthur breathed out and pushed Merling gently.

We all knew the truth, and it was ok. In fact, it was more than ok. It was how it should be.


End file.
